Newsbytes - Internationa…ews 1983 May to 1994 June/Newsbytes - International Computing Industry News 1994 Edition - May 1983 - June 1994 - Wayzata Technologies (5045) (1994).iso/mac/Text/Mac Text/1993/NB092293

Text File | 1993-09-22 | 68KB | 1,500 lines

(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(SFO)(00001)

Cisco To Acquire Crescendo Communications 09/22/93
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Cisco
Systems Inc., has signed an agreement to acquire Crescendo
Communications Inc., a privately  held, networking company.

Under terms of the deal, Cisco has agreed to acquire all of the
outstanding stock and assume all the outstanding employee stock
options and warrants of Crescendo in exchange for 2,000,000
shares of Cisco common stock.

The transaction, which has been approved by the board of directors
of both Cisco and Crescendo, is subject to several conditions,
including approval of Crescendo shareholders and receipt of an
opinion that the transaction will be accounted for as a pooling of
interest.

A meeting with the Crescendo shareholders has been scheduled for
September 23, 1993, to  vote on the transaction.

In announcing the deal, John Morgridge, president and CEO of Cisco,
said: "Crescendo's key technologies are at the heart of a number of
leading-edge trends in our industry, including CDDI/FDDI (copper/
fiber distributed data interface), LAN (local area network)
switching, and ATM (asynchronous transfer mode). Crescendo
pioneered and developed its 'MLT3' signaling scheme that became
the foundation for the 100-Mbps over UTP (unshielded twisted
pair), today emerging as a worldwide industry standard."

Crescendo presently has about 60 employees and is based in
Sunnyvale, California, with seven regional offices in the US and
distributors in Europe and Asia.

In August, Newsbytes reported that Cisco had posted net income
of $53,719,000, or 41 cents per share, for its fourth quarter,
ending July 25, 1993. Net sales for the fourth quarter were
$205,223,000. This compared with net sales of $110,691,000
and net income of $27,240,000 in the like period last year.
Net sales for the 1993 fiscal year were $649,035,000, and net
income was $171,955,000, or $1.33 per share, versus net sales of
$339,623,000 and net income of $84,386,000 for fiscal 1992.

(Ian Stokell/19930927/Press Contact: Jeff Paine, 415-903-7191,
Cisco Systems Inc.)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(LAX)(00002)

Avid Gets An Emmy For Media Composer 09/22/93
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Avid
Technology received an Emmy Award at the 45th annual ceremony
by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for its Media
Composer system. The award was in recognition of outstanding
achievement in engineering and development of the Avid digital
non-linear editing system.

The Emmy was presented to Avid Technology and the inventors
of the Media Composer system: William J. Warner, Jeffrey L.
Bedell, Eric C. Peters, Joseph H. Rice, Stephen J. Reber, and
Thomas A. Ohanian.

Avid says Media Composer, introduced in December of 1989, was
among the first digital non-linear editing systems to provide
the industry with an image quality good enough to serve as a
catalyst for moving beyond traditional analog editing
technology. The company typically sells turn-key systems based
on Macintosh Quadra 950 systems that range in price from
$10,000 to $90,000.

Since its introduction, Avid claims over 2,000 Media Composer
systems sold. Avid systems have been used to edit short-form
programs such as commercials and music videos and long-form
projects including television episodics such as "L.A. Law' and
"Northern Exposure," and feature films like "Needful Things" and
"The Fugitive."

(Linda Rohrbough/19930921/Press Contact: Mimi Englander,
Avid Technology, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(LON)(00003)

Softklone Becomes UK Distributor For Reportsmith 09/22/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Softklone has signed up to
be the exclusive distributor of Reportsmith, the client/server
reporting and query package from Indigo Software in the US, which
has just changed its name to Reportsmith, Newsbytes understands.

Indigo/Reportsmith's founder and president, Ken Gardner was in
Europe recently to finalize distribution deals in several European
countries, although, so far, only the UK deal has been made public.

Lee Wood, Softklone's managing director, told Newsbytes that
onward distribution deals are in progress with Ingram Micro and
Northamber, the company's existing distributors, to handle the
UKP239 package through to computer dealers.

"The package should be available by early next month," he said,
adding that, as an introductory offer, Reportsmith will be available
at UKP99 while stocks last. This pricing strategy, he told
Newsbytes, was to establish the name of the package in the UK.

Newsbytes notes that Reportsmith won the Byte magazine best
product award at Comdex Fall late last year. The software, which
supports DDE (dynamic data exchange) and OLE (object linking and
embedding) 2.0, works with live data for visual interactive report
design.

Gardner admitted that the strategy of dealing with live data in a
reporting package, though unique to Reportsmith, slows the
processing of the package down somewhat. To compensate, the
package has been coded to support an adaptive data access process.

This allows the package to handle any report size, even those in
which the data sets are too large for the client workstation. "What
we've done is to optimize the package for small, medium or larger
data files and ensure that it runs as quickly as possible for each
data set," he said.

So what do you get for your money? A Windows package, now into
version 1.22, that allows data to be manipulated and massaged into
easy-to-understand reports. In essence, Reportsmith is a report
generating package that can work with live data.

It does this by using the OLE and DDE features of Windows to link
data being produced from other applications under Windows and
inserting, as well as acting upon, that data.

Reportsmith also includes a macro language that bears more than a
passing resemblance to Basic. The company claims that the macro
language allows developers to develop strong macros very easily.

The macro language gives Reportsmith near application-level
capabilities. It is possible, for example, to allow code to be
written that can automate most tasks on an intelligent basis.
Macros can be linked to fields and allowed to conditionally change
the field's format or color.

Alternatively, the macros can be programmed to hide or even disable
certain functions on execution. This facility could be useful for
when a report is being opened by a novice user and prevent that
person from ruining their own customized report.

(Steve Gold/19930921/Press & Public Contact: US: Reportsmith
(formerly Indigo) - 415/312-0770; Fax: [phone]; UK:
Sofklone UK - Tel: [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(TYO)(00004)

Computer Viruses Rampant In Japan 09/22/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Computer virus infections
have been rapidly increasing in Japan. The Information Technology
Promotion Agency reports that it has received reports of virus
infections from 120 members in the month of August - the highest
number in its history.

The number is the highest since it began the survey in 1990. There
were 83 cases in June and 97 cases in July. Due to the summer
holiday season, the number was initially expected to be smaller
in August.

NEC's PC-9801 suffered most, with  81 cases reported. This was
followed by the IBM-PC, the IBM PS/2, and the PS/55 (Japanese
PS/2) platforms.

The type of viruses included Yankee Doodle, which was reported in
52 cases, and Cascade, in 36 cases. Seventy percent of the
reports resulted from these two viruses. There was one new virus
- Mommy. This virus infects the .EXE file and eventually deletes
the disk content.

A total of 810 cases have been reported since IPA started the
survey in April 1990. It is expected that the number of viruses
reported will continue to increase. IPA warns that users
should be careful about programs which are downloaded from
telecommunications networks. Also, users should not use copied
disks.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930922/Press Contact: IPA,
[phone])


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(TYO)(00005)

Japan - KDD To Cut International Phone Rates 09/22/93
TOKYO, JAPAN, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- KDD says it will cut
international telephone rates on October 10. The firm will cut an
average 2.4 percent, making it the same or less than those of
its rivals. However, it is expected that other firms will also
follow suit.

KDD will lower rates between 10 yen (10 cents) and 240 yen
($2.4) depending on the regions - which include 134 countries.
Currently, KDD's phone rates are higher than those of rival phone
firms to all regions.

However, the company claims that to some countries - such as
France, England, and Germany - they will be cheaper. To some 27
countries, the rates will be same as those of rival firms. For
example, phone rates to Cambodia and Vietnam will be cut
by 240 yen, with rates to South America and Africa to be cut
by 110 yen ($1.1).

KDD's rival telephone firms, such as International Telecom Japan
(ITJ) and International Digital Communication (IDC), will vie with
KDD by lowering their rates in the near future. It is expected that
these firms will lower their rates for calls to some popular
countries such as the US and the United Kingdom.

In the past, there was governmental guidance to keep KDD's
phone rates higher than those of other private telephone firms,
which entered the phone business after the deregulation of
the Japanese telecom industry in 1985. However, the government
has now given approval for KDD to lower rates in order to remain
competitive.

(Masayuki "Massey" Miyazawa/19930922/Press Contact: KDD,
tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(IBM)(TOR)(00006)

IBM Canada To Make PowerPC Modules 09/22/93
BROMONT, QUEBEC, CANADA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- An IBM Canada
Ltd., factory will make electronic modules for all PowerPC chips
used worldwide, the company announced as part of its rollout of
the first IBM PowerPC-based systems in Toronto.

The Bromont plant - one of IBM Canada's two manufacturing
facilities - took part in the design of the PowerPC packaging,
the company said. The plant will package PowerPC chips on
electronic modules and mount these on a ceramic base. It is the
only supplier of these modules in the industry, and will provide
the modules, not only to IBM, but to other PowerPC manufacturers,
including Apple Computer and Motorola, officials said.

IBM Canada would not say how many of the modules the Bromont
plant is to produce, but did report that Motorola is expected to
take 2.5 million of the chips and Apple about one million by the
end of 1994. IBM was tight-lipped about its own requirements for
the PowerPC modules.

IBM staff at the Bromont plant have spent the past couple of
years in development work to prepare for the PowerPC
announcement, said Bill Etherington, president and chief
executive of IBM Canada. The Bromont plant exports about C$2
billion worth of products each year, he said.

(Grant Buckler/19930922/Press Contact: Anne Hay, IBM Canada,
416-474-3900)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00007)

 ****MacWorld Canada - MacWeek's Gore Predicts Mac Moves 09/22/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- "Sometimes,"
MacWeek Senior Editor Andrew Gore told an audience at MacWorld
Expo/Canada this week, "I wish the Macintosh could be declared a
minor so Child Protection Services could come and take it away
until Apple could prove it was a fit parent."

Gore had a few other barbs for Apple, which he said is hoping to
address market confusion over the large number of Macintosh
models by introducing more models. But he spent most of his
second-day keynote address doing something his newspaper is
known for - predicting unannounced Apple products.

According to Gore, Apple will try to simplify its product line by
doing away with the Centris name, replacing existing Centris
models with equivalent Quadras.

On October 21, he forecast, Apple will launch seven new Quadra
models using 25 megahertz (MHz), 33MHz, and 40MHz Motorola
68040 processors. Six of these will have Ethernet local area
network (LAN) interfaces and compact disk read-only memory
(CD-ROM) drives built in. One will be an AV model with audio and
video capabilities.

A handful of new Macintosh Performa models will also appear in
October, Gore said, and there will also be a new Macintosh Duo
250, which will be essentially like the Duo 230 but with an
active-matrix grey-scale screen, and a Duo 270c with an
active-matrix color screen. In the spring, he added Apple will
bring out a 290c, with a 68040 processor and an active-matrix
color screen.

Also in the spring, Gore expects the first Macs based on the
PowerPC chips that Apple, IBM, and Motorola are jointly
developing. He predicted three initial models, ranging in price
from US$2,000 to US$4,000, built on PowerPC 601 chips running
at 50MHz and 66MHz, and possibly carrying the Quadra nameplate.

To the user, Gore said, the PowerPC Macs will look and work just
like existing Macs. He added one warning: while the machines will
run existing Mac software, they will not deliver the hoped-for
performance improvements with software written especially for
the PowerPC chip. And when will that appear? Gore said Microsoft
Corp., one of the key Mac application suppliers, is running behind
in its efforts to develop PowerPC versions of its Microsoft Office
suite of applications, but should have the Word and Excel packages
ready within 90 days after Apple launches the PowerPC Macs in
March.

The first Duo portable based on PowerPC technology is expected
next fall, he added.

Gore also touched on a rumored new Mac, called Blackbird, which he
said will be a notebook intended as a response to IBM's recently
launched ThinkPad 750. Expected in March, he said, it will have
an active-matrix color screen that will be the largest on any
PowerBook at 9.4 inches, and will use a modular design with two
expansion bays.

Turning to Apple's Personal Interactive Electronics (PIE)
division, Gore praised the Newton and dismissed the PowerCD
CD-ROM device, which he said is "a pretty lackluster CD-ROM
drive."

Despite complaints about the handwriting recognition in the
Newton MessagePad personal digital assistant, Gore said, Apple
is "selling every single one they can build."

He said more products in the Newton line can be expected quite
soon, and not just from Apple - other companies, including
Panasonic, Siemens, and Motorola, have licenses to build products
around the technology.

And the Newton line may use other processors than that in the
initial model. Gore said he expects Apple to launch a Newton
built on a PowerPC chip before the end of 1995, and the company
may even build one around the Intel chips used in IBM and
compatible personal computers. "It'll be ultimately up to folks
like yourselves whether it's successful," Gore said, "but the
architecture's got a lot of elbow room."

Commenting on recent corporate developments at Apple, Gore said
there is good news and bad news about the firm's drive for market
share over the past couple of years. The good news is that it is
working: Macintosh unit sales are up and the architecture holds
16 to 17 percent of the worldwide PC market today versus about
12 percent three years ago. The bad news is that, "in order to be
able to pump up the volume, Apple has had to cut their margins,"
and that has meant cuts to research and development and to
staffing and benefits.

"We at MacWeek are pretty convinced that we haven't seen the end
of the layoffs," he added. But he praised Apple for having "shown
a willingness to do what it has to do to keep the platform viable
and also to keep people developing for it."

(Grant Buckler/19930922)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00008)

MacWorld Canada - Global Networks To Change Business 09/22/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Networking
technology is making it possible for computer users to exchange
information over almost any distance, and that will in time
change the way businesses work, Chip Graham, product manager
for Apple Pacific, said at MacWorld Expo/Canada.

As an example, Graham used a 9,600 bits-per-second modem to link
the Macintosh he used for his presentation to Apple Canada's
headquarters in nearby Markham, Ontario, and then to the
company's worldwide corporate network. During his presentation
he was able to connect to local networks in the United States,
Australia, and the Far East, and to take control of a personal
computer running Microsoft Windows software in an Apple
building in California.

The point of this, Graham said, is the ability to make
information readily available no matter where it is. "With a
network in place like that.....you can start to build other
technology on top of that."

The implications include "just-in-time information" analogous to
the just-in-time manufacturing techniques that have been popular
for years, he said. Training will also change, because it will be
possible to make information available exactly when people need
it to do their jobs, rather than treating training as a separate
activity.

He mentioned electronic forms and intelligent work-group
applications as building blocks in a new way of operating.

Graham also promoted some of Apple's products, such as the
AppleSearch architecture that indexes files to make it easy for
users to find information - a concept similar to file indexers
available for other personal computers.

On the product front, though, he faced some doubts from at least
one audience member, who noted that Apple has cut some
development projects in recent months as part of a cost-cutting
effort, and asked Graham how he could be sure Apple is committed
to these new technologies. Graham said customers shouldn't be
concerned, but admitted that, "The proof is in the delivery."

(Grant Buckler/19930922)


(NEWS)(APPLE)(TOR)(00009)

MacWorld Canada - Color, Multimedia, DTP Highlight Show 09/22/93
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Desktop publishing,
the niche that helped the Macintosh gain acceptance, has not
disappeared, but multimedia is taking a growing share of the
attention. These technologies, along with an assortment of color
printers and miscellaneous other things, occupied the show floor
at MacWorld Expo/Canada this week.

Coming just six weeks after the Boston MacWorld show, the Toronto
event was light on new product announcements. Still, a good
number of Mac users took the opportunity to get a close-up look
at things many had only read or heard about.

This year's show included several pavilions bringing together
vendors with related products. At one, a Pre-Press Pavilion,
products such as clip art collections, color copiers, electronic
stripping technology, and Kodak's PhotoCD technology were
gathered together.

Kodak also showed the PhotoCD - which allows photographs to be
captured on a compact disk rather than film - at its own booth,
along with writeable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)
devices and color printers.

Color printers were scattered throughout the show, with products
from QMS, Hewlett-Packard, Tektronix, Brother, and Fargo
Electronics among those shown by the manufacturers or their
Canadian distributors.

Claris Corp., Apple's software subsidiary, was showing
ClarisImpact, its new business graphics package. To be available
in Canada in November, ClarisImpact will sell for about C$375,
said a company representative at Claris' booth.

Multimedia took several forms, including home entertainment.
Yamaha Corp., was demonstrating "home karaoke" with its CBX-T3
tone generator, which attaches to a computer with a musical
instrument digital interface (MIDI) Interface and allows it to
produce the sound of one or more musical instruments.

(Grant Buckler/19930922)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(ATL)(00010)

Paramount Takeover Drama Escalates 09/22/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Paramount
Communications, owner of Prentice Hall, the world's largest
publisher of computer books, is now the prize in the biggest
takeover drama to hit Wall Street in years.

While Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone had insisted at a press
conference recently that QVC head Barry Diller was no threat to
his deal to buy Paramount for stock, QVC did make a bid for the
company September 21. The bid, for just under a share of QVC plus
$30 cash, is estimated to be worth $80 per Paramount share.

Viacom's bid, an all-stock offer, was said to be worth $70 per
share when it was made a week earlier, but subsequent falls in
the value of Viacom's stock reduced that to something over $63
per share. Among the major holders of QVC are Liberty Media,
headed by Tele-Communications Inc., head John Malone, and
Comcast, which has both cable television and cellular phone units.

There is great irony and drama here, as there always is in a
takeover battle. QVC head Barry Diller used to head the Paramount
studio, where he feuded with Paramount Chairman Martin Davis. If
he wins the prize, he could fire his former boss. Then there is
Redstone, who raised his bid three times before taking Viacom six
years ago, and has said repeatedly that, regardless of the
financial terms, competing bidders cannot offer Paramount Viacom
and the deal makes great strategic sense. Most analysts, however,
believe Paramount must be sold, in time, to the highest bidder.

Knowing there might be other bidders, Redstone and Paramount
tried to protect themselves with specific covenants in the deal.
If someone else takes Paramount, for instance, Paramount would
have to pay Viacom $100 million for its trouble. Viacom also drew
a relatively low-cost option on a big block of Paramount which it
could exercise to thwart another bidder, but that option could be
the subject of a court fight.

Then there are the reports of possible alternate bidders.
Ameritech, the regional Bell company for the upper Midwest, is
said to be interested in joining the QVC bid. This follows US
West's deal to invest $2.5 billion in Time Warner's cable
operations, in exchange for a stake in its entertainment group.

Capital Cities/ABC is reportedly planning a bid. Turner
Broadcasting Chairman Ted Turner has made no secret of his desire
to own a major movie studio. Even Walt Disney Co., is supposedly
interested in Paramount's TV stations.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00011)

MCI In Alliance With Compression Labs 09/22/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- MCI used the
TeleCommunications Association show as the venue to enhance its
MCI VideoNet videoconferencing service and announce a new
strategic alliance with Compression Labs Inc.

The enhancement will let customers place video calls to users of
other carriers' switched digital services, including Sprint
videoconferencing rooms, and provides the ability to conference
with multiple users of Compression Labs equipment as well as
switched 64,000 bits-per-second transport for international video
calls to the United States. MCI's 64 kbps service from the US
was also expanded to seven more countries, bringing the number of
potential destinations to 17.

Under the new alliance, Compression Labs will provide MCI with
complete systems, including peripherals and service agreements,
with flexible lease and purchase programs. The new equipment
will be sold in conjunction with MCI VideoNet service. MCI
VideoNet will also support "multi-point bridging," which
involves the ability to link multiple conference rooms, for
Compression Labs' Rembrandt II/VP product line.  Early next year
VideoNet will add support of Compression Labs' new eclipse
Series of videoconferencing equipment, and all industry
standards. That could mean CLI rooms using MCI lines would be
able to link with rooms set up by arch-rivals PictureTel and
VTEL.

The "inter-operability" which is at the heart of the technical
details in the MCI-CLI announcement will increase the value of
new videoconferencing networks, like one now being installed by
the State of Georgia. The state is using proceeds from its new
lottery to build a network of CLI conference rooms in its
colleges, which can be used for distance learning. BellSouth, the
regional Bell company serving the state, will handle the network,
but the use of standards means the rooms could also be linked to
out-of-state centers, in time, for wider conferencing. Georgia
plans to have over 100 Rembrandt II/VP systems installed by the
end of the year, and as many as 300 installed by the end of 1994.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: Compression Labs Inc.,
Joyce Strand, 408/922-4610; State of Georgia, Jim Anderson,
404/651-6393; MCI, 202/887-3000)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00012)

PCN Focus Of TCA 09/22/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- On the eve of
a Federal Communications Commission meeting which will set the
ground rules for microwave-based wireless phones called personal
communication networks, the technology was a major focus at the
TeleCommunications Show in San Diego.

Motorola and Cablevision Systems, one of the nation's largest
cable operators, said they are trialing, what they called, cable-
based PCN. In this system, a cable operator becomes a wireless
phone company, integrating Motorola's CableComm system with
Cablevision's Neighborhood Hardware Corridor concept, a system of
micro-cell repeaters. The tests are being conducted in Evanston,
Illinois, but will be extended soon to a real cable system,
Cablevision said.

Pacific Telesis reported on the results of a trial of in-building
wireless phones it conducted with Varian Chromatography Systems
in Walnut Creek, California, near San Francisco. The company's
research unit gave 50 wireless hand-sets to selected employees,
who claimed later they did not know how they had gotten along
without them. Northern Telecom equipment was used in the trial,
with the phones linked directly to Varian's own private switch or
PBX (private branch exchange). Pacific Telesis conducted the trial
under an experimental license for PCNs granted by the FCC.

AT&T extended its wireless war with Motorola by announcing a
completely wireless business phone system, the AT&T TransTalk
9000. The company also announced the first multi-line digital
cordless phone for businesses, the AT&T Digital Business
Cordless - the digital design means calls cannot be tapped. Both
products can make and receive calls within a block of their base
stations, four times farther than the range of typical cordless
phones. AT&T said hospitals, stores, factories, universities and
offices will be likely prospects. The Digital Business Cordless
phone costs $595, the wireless system starts at $795.

Finally, on the eve of the FCC vote, powerful interests in
Congress weighed in with opinions. John Dingell, head of the
committee which oversees telecommunications, released a five-page
letter which urged strict use of competitive bidding in granting
PCN licenses. The Clinton Administration has urged that rules be
set to prevent local cable operators, phone companies, or
cellular companies from using PCN to monopolize their local
markets, to assure that new players can afford to get into the
business, and to issue just three PCN licenses for each local
market.

MCI, meanwhile, has urged that the FCC award national
licenses as well as local licenses, and has built a consortium of
companies, including cable companies, across the country which
would implement its vision. Edward Markey, who runs a
subcommittee under Congressman Dingell with specific
responsibility for telecommunications, opposes nationwide
licenses. The final FCC vote is due September 23.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: Cablevision Systems,
Wilt Hildenbrand, 516/496-1225; AT&T, Tricia Sieh, 908/658-2604;
Pacific Telesis, Michael Runzler, 415/394-3643)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00013)

Claircom Signs Air France 09/22/93
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Claircom
Communications, a new joint-venture between McCaw Cellular and
General Motors' Hughes Aircraft unit, continued its flight over
entrenched rivals by signing Air France to carry its AirOne
service. Earlier, American Air had said it will replace GTE
Airfone equipment on more than 600 of its planes with AirOne
equipment. The company has also signed contracts with
Northwest, Southwest, and Alaska Airlines.

The Air France deal is Claircom's first international customer,
and assures that the system will operate worldwide. The deal
gives the company a chance to bid for the business of other large
European airlines with assurance that any infrastructure it puts
in place will already by paid for.

While no financial details have been given out on any of
Claircom's agreements, spokesmen have confirmed to Newsbytes
in the past that financial royalties are involved. Analysts have
speculated that Claircom is offering much higher royalties than
its rivals, primarily GTE Airfone and In-Flight Communications,
in order to win business. All three groups are putting in digital
systems - GTE is re-building its system with digital technology.

Installations on the Air France contract will begin early next
year, using Inmarsat satellites. Claricom has joined a consortium
called Aircom, which includes SITA, France Telecom, Teleglobe
Canada/IDB Mobile, and Telstra, to provide worldwide coverage on
its network. Claircom will partner with Jetphone, a joint venture
of France Telecom and British Telecom, to provide European
service.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: Claircom
Communications, Todd Wolfenbarger, 206/828-1851)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00014)

 ****Motorola To Enter PDA Race 09/22/93
SCHAUMBURG, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Motorola will
make a wireless "personal communicator" based on the Microsoft
At Work interface. The device will compete with products like the
AT&T Personal Communicator and Apple Newton.

A key component of the new device, whose design was not
announced, will be an in-board wireless modem that can access
data and exchange messages with a variety of networks. Earlier
this year Motorola announced a range of wireless modems based on
"PC Card" technology under the PCMCIA standard.

The announcement is important for both companies, and the
industry. For Motorola, the announcement puts it into direct
competition with Apple, AT&T and others in the growing, but still
nascent, PDA marketplace, with a unique product under its own
label. For Microsoft, the deal means it will not be left behind Go's
PenPoint and Apple's Newton technology in the marketplace.

The new device will be produced by a unit of Motorola headed by
Bob Growney, who also produced the PC Card modems. Growney said
in a press statement that connections to desktop software
represent a key advantage of the Motorola device.

Pat Richardson, general manager of the Motorola Paging and Wireless
Data Group's Subscriber Products Division, said the deal is totally
non-exclusive, adding, "We will continue to align ourselves with
major industry leaders, including computer and consumer
electronics manufacturers, software developers, industry
standards groups, and service providers. Our goal is to support
major industry  operating platforms, as well as all wireless
networks."

Earlier this year, Motorola said it would offer a wireless
personal communicator based on General Magic's Magic Cap
application platform, and confirmed its membership in the
General Magic Alliance, along with Apple, Sony, AT&T, Philips
and Matsushita.

In March, it announced a license agreement on Apple's Newton
technology, with plans to market a device based on it. Motorola
announced its decision to sign an alliance with Microsoft in June.

Motorola said it remains committed to its other agreements, with
General Magic and Apple, and will announce products based on those
agreements in the future. A spokesman also told Newsbytes the
company is being deliberately vague about the specific design of
the Microsoft-based product, saying design, shipment, and pricing
announcements will all be made closer to the actual shipment
date of the product.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: Motorola, Sue Major,
708/576-0453)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00015)

IDB Communications Announces Expansion 09/22/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- IDB
Communications Group Inc.'s IDB Worldcom unit, which runs private
line and long distance services, said it is increasing its long-
distance telephone origination capabilities to include all major
business locations nationwide.

International direct-dial, private line and messaging services
will be available beginning November 1 and will be carried over
IDB Worldcom's network. IDB Worldcom currently provides service
primarily out of New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Washington
DC.

The expansion program will introduce the company's
communications services for the first time in Atlanta, Dallas,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Seattle,
and San Francisco. The capability to originate phone traffic
throughout the US is a major deal to Worldcom, said the unit's
president, Steve Carroll, in a press statement.

Worldcom based its network on a system of satellite uplinks in
San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston, but also runs undersea
fiber cables, and now provides routing to nearly every region in
the world, with operating agreements with over 100 countries. The
company first became well-known a few years ago when it opened
links to the then-Soviet Union.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: Kim Dewling, IDB,
212-478-6185)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(ATL)(00016)

Nolan Bushnell Returns With OCTuS 09/22/93
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Nolan
Bushnell, the man who gave us Pong, is back again with yet-
another company, called OCTuS, and at the Tele-Communications
Association show announced the company's first product, a
Personal Telecommunications Assistant.

The product consists of Windows-based software that provides
communications management, fax, answering machine and voice
services functions, plus a telephone-to-PC interface to access
and control the telephone system. The first release of the
product is designed to work with telephone companies' central
office switches providing what is called Centrex service, as
well as standard phone lines and analog lines behind a business'
private switch or PBX (private branch exchange). Later versions
are expected to support a broader range of PBXs including digital
systems.

Pacific Bell said it will co-market PTA, which it called a
graphical communications control center, in conjunction with its
Centrex, Voice Mail, and other products. The agreement will also
enable the two companies to market their products using each
other's logos. Pacific Bell said the new deal is the extension of
a business alliance agreement signed last April. The combined
offering will be marketed as Pacific Bell's Desktop Companion.
The two parties also said PTA could be the first of many product
offerings from them. Further announcements and a formal product
launch are expected before the end of the year.

In a press statement, Bushnell said graphical interfaces and
improved hardware are making computers easier to use, but
telephones are getting more complicated. "The OCTuS PTA system
returns control to the user. It makes even the toughest phone
system as easy to use as today's best computers."

The system replaces current desktop tools with a point-and-click
system, including name and address books, fax access, answering
machine functions, speaker-phone and feature phone features, and
a speed dialer, all accessible from within any Microsoft Windows
application. Icons are used to place and receive calls, transfer
calls and forward them, even access voice mail, conferencing
calling, and fax functions, as well as contact histories and the
integrated address book.

Instead of the telephone's ringing, the PTA provides a silent
"pop-up message" and button bar that gives someone the chance to
decide how to handle the call. In areas with Caller ID service, the
system can even present information on the caller, including a
contact history.

Bushnell said he is working with three other regional Bells on
deals similar to the one he has with Pacific Bell. The suggested
list price is $599.

(Dana Blankenhorn/19930922/Press Contact: OCTuS, Tom Geldner,
619/452-9400; Pacific Bell, Dan Theobald, 415/542-4589)


(NEWS)(GOVT)(LAX)(00017)

SIA - Japan Has Reneged On Semiconductor Trade Deal 09/22/93
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- The
Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has made some strong
statements against the Japanese, claiming Japan is again
reneging on its promise to open up its semiconductor market to
foreign competition. Recently released US government figures
show a continuing decline in the foreign share of Japan's
semiconductor market in the first half of this year.

The goal stipulated in the 1991 trade agreement between the US
and Japan for the amount of foreign semiconductor market share
in the Japanese market is 20 percent, a number the Japanese
have only met once with 20.2 percent in the fourth quarter of
1992. The agreement also called for "steady and gradual"
progress in market access over the duration of the accord,
which expires in 1996.

The Japanese government has contended since a few days after
the agreement was negotiated that the 20 percent level was only
a goal, not a firm commitment. Now figures released by the US
Trade Representative's office show the Japanese foreign
semiconductor market share is down again to 19.6 percent.

"During a time when the competitive strength of US
semiconductor manufacturers has allowed us to overtake Japan's
semiconductor industry in worldwide market share, it is
astonishing that our share of Japan's market continues to erode,"
claimed Andre Procassini, president of the SIA. "Japan's
commitment to create a more open semiconductor market remains
unfulfilled."

US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor stated his position that
"steady progress" would mean a 20 percent market share average
during 1993. For that to happen now, Japan will have to exceed
20 percent in the next two quarters.

The SIA is already anticipating answers to the excuses it feels
the Japanese will use to sidestep the issue. "Due to the recent
appreciation of the yen against the dollar, Japan will likely
use the exchange rates as another excuse for failing to meet
the goals of the trade pact. Exchange rates are not the issue.
There have been several times since 1986 when the yen has
appreciated significantly and foreign market share has
increased," maintains Procassini.

"The real issue is Japan's commitment to opening its
semiconductor market. The US semiconductor industry will be
seeking an honest explanation from Japanese government and
industry officials regarding their inability to maintain
progress opening Japan's semiconductor market to foreign
competition," Procassini asserted.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930922/Press Contact: Tom Beerman,
Semiconductor Industry Association, tel [phone],
fax [phone])


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00018)

Unix Expo - DEC's Dorio Brand, Open Systems Terminal 09/22/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- At Unix Expo,
Digital Equipment Corp, has announced a new set of business
practices, a new brand, and a text terminal that is the first
product to carry the new name.

DEC's new Dorio brand will be aimed at the open systems market, and
sold exclusively through distributors, said Larry Cabrinety, vice
president of DEC's Components & Peripherals Business Unit, during
a press conference at the show.

In an interview at Unix Expo, Cabrinety told Newsbytes that the new
terminal provides "plug-and-play" compatibility with more than 30
operating systems, including Ultrix and 14 other flavors of
multivendor Unix, seven varieties of mulituser DOS, and two types
of multiuser OS/2, plus Pick protocols, Olivetti's LSX, and
Digital's OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS AXP.

The inexpensive terminal also provides a choice of PC-style, ANSI-
style, or special applications, along with a simple, Windows-like
setup that can be displayed in English, French, German, Italian and
Spanish, according to Cabrinety.

The user interface incorporates a number of easy-on-the-eyes
features, including horizontal scrolling, vertical scrolling, and
such desktop productivity tools as a calculator, a two-alarm clock,
local copy and paste, hotkeys, and sticky keys.

A 14-inch screen, available in white, amber or green phosphors, is
equipped with 800 pixels by 432 scan lines, as well as a 72 hertz
(Hz) refresh rate and overscan for flicker-free display.

Other features include 16 different terminal emulations, serial and
Centronics parallel printer ports, built-in character sets, a
cartridge slot for firmware enhancements,and host access to the
terminal's unique serial number. The Dorio terminal is priced at
$399 for a standard model and $414 and $429, respectively, for
international and MPRII-compliant models.

Almost 20 major open systems distributors and resellers have
already lined up to sell the new text terminal and other Dorio
products from Digital, Cabrinety stressed to Newsbytes. Dorio's
European distributors include Tekelec, Magirus and Metrologie.

The North American partners are Ingram Micro, Merisel, MicroAge,
National Desktop Distributors, Hallmark, Firstop, Centauri, Arrow
Express, Arrow Electronics, Avnet Computer, Wyle Laboratories,
Pioneer Technologies, Inland Associates, and Pioneer Standard
Electronics.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930922/Press contact:  Richard Lee Goldberg,
Digital Equipment Corp., tel [phone]; Reader contact: tel 1-
800-BY-DORIO)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00019)

Unix Expo - Suns SPARCcluster Aimed At Large NFS Apps 09/22/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 22 (NB) -- The SPARCcluster
1 system unveiled by Sun yesterday is aimed mainly at large network
file server (NFS) applications, representatives of Sun and user
organizations explained in a wide ranging roundtable discussion
here at Unix Expo.

"SPARCcluster 1 is positioned as a dedicated file server, whereas
the rest of our servers are positioned either as multipurpose
servers, where you do NFS and compute, or as database servers for
commercial applications," said Carl Stolle, manager of Server
Systems Product Managing for Sun.

Other major players also compete in the NFS market, but only Sun
and Auspex provide enough Ethernet connectivity and file server
capacity to handle several hundred clients on the same system, he
maintained.

But SPARCcluster 1 provides more than twice the networking
connectivity and 51 percent greater performance than its closest
competitor, the NS 6000 NetServer from Auspex, according to Stolle.

The SPARCcluster 1 Model 2, which comes standard with two
processors, and the SPARCcluster 1 Model 4, which comes standard
with four processors, are each expandable to 16 processors, he
said. In comparison, the NS 6000 comes with four to 12 processors.

Memory ranges from 64 megabytes (MB) to 1 gigabyte (GB) for the
Model 2 and from 128MB to 2GB for the Model 4, in contrast to 32
to 640MB for the Auspex NS 6000, according to Stolle. Each
SPARCcluster model offers up to 20 client Ethernet ports, as
opposed to the eight client ports provided by the NS 6000.

SPARCcluster 1 supports DCE/DFS, Netware, and Banyan Vines, in
addition to the ONC/NFS protocol supported by the NFS 6000, he
said. Like the NS6000, the SPARCcluster 1 ships with performance
monitoring tools,

But the SPARCcluster models also come with system administration,
configuration and installation tools, as well as Optimized Network
Throughput (ONT), a new network switch designed to let every client
on every network to access all disks on each cluster node, he said.

"The strength of this product is that multiple independent central
processor units (CPUs) can connect to multiple Ethernets, all
equally well," commented one beta user, Peter Bishop, who is
manager of computing resources for Cirrus Logic.

"In this way, things break down beautifully for NFS. But for
backroom MIS (management information system) database service,
you want shared memory, so you want to have multiple CPUs
(central processing units) in the same box," he said.

Another user said that NFS is one example of an application where
Ethernet works well as a bus for connecting multiple processors.
"But there are other (examples), and I can see additional areas,
aside from NFS, where we would install SPARCclusters," stated
Mitch Wyle, manager of network integration services for Synopsis.

Sun plans to add high-speed interconnect services to SPARCcluster
in 1995, and open interfaces and "cluster application tools" in
1996, according to Stolle.

When asked by a journalist how Sun might improve the SPARCcluster
product, Wyle replied: "I have a long wish list, but FDDI (fiber
distributed data interface) is the most critical item and I want
them to do that first."

Wyle emphasized, though, that he is very favorably impressed with
the systems administration software that Sun has included. "Our
systems administrators love the tools," he commented.

Responded Bishop: "I guess FDDI is not the most critical item on
my list, I'd much rather see better availability and reliability
features, I'd like to be able to dual port my disk. Then, if one
CPU fails, I won't have to reboot my workstations in order to
get them over to the other file server."

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930922/Press contact:  Carol Sacks,
tel [phone])


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(MOW)(00020)

 ****Calm And Quiet In Moscow 09/22/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- The coup, the discontinuation
of parliament and the extraordinary elections announced yesterday by
Russia's President Boris Yeltsin, by and large has left most
local technology companies unaffected.

Several local computer trading companies, which  expect a
substantial change in the exchange rate, announced they will
not sell for rubles for the next few days. Dollar trades are
unaffected. Nobody expects this to be a problem, as all
traders have learned to live with a floating exchange rate.

After several months of State Bank support, the ruble exchange
rate started go down (66 points to 1102 roubles per dollar today).
Mr Kardonsky, economic analyst with the Eastern Center of
Contemporary Documentation, explained that the stable ruble
with a rising internal inflation has made all import and export
operations unprofitable, almost killing foreign trade and
badly affecting the local market. Yeltsin's actions to dissolve
the parliament and create an elected legislative body will
definitely put  new life into the stagnating economy,
he predicts. Yeltsin favors a rapid move to a market-driven
economy and the now-dissolved legislature did not.

No extraordinary measures were announced or undertaken by
Moscow-based technology companies, which expect a more stable
and predictable economy if it comes to pass that there is an
end to the gridlock  of conflicting powers.

The army, police, and security forces are on Yeltsin's side.
Some local authorities announced complete support for Yeltsin,
some said the parliament and the president should be re-elected
simultaneously, some said they won't follow decrees of either
Yeltsin or Parliament. Nobody claimed complete support for
the now practically powerless parliament.

Telecommunications are all operational, as no blackouts have
occurred, although it was difficult to get through to Moscow
shortly after the President Yeltsin's announcement last night.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930922)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(MOW)(00021)

Russia - Cable Technology Exhibition Opens 09/22/93
MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Twenty two foreign
companies are participating in an exhibition dedicated to advances
is fiber optic and other telecommunication cables technologies.

Moscow-based Research Institute of the Cable Industry, a
partner of Corning Glass in its effort to bring  fiber
manufacturing technologies into Russia, was the main organizer
of the show. Corning announced that it has received an
export license to supply four local factories with raw
materials for fiber cable manufacturing, and will start
shipments soon.

Another announcement at the show was the establishment
of the Soficam company to manufacture communications and power
cables in cooperation with and using technology of Finnish Nokia.

(Kirill Tchashchin/19930922)


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00022)

Wordperfect 6.0 To Be Bundled With Quattro Pro 09/22/93
OREM, UTAH, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Wordperfect Corp., says
it will join with Borland International to bundle Wordperfect 6.0
for Windows with Quattro Pro 5.0 Workgroup Edition.

The specially marked packages will be available when Wordperfect
6.0 for Windows ships. Wordperfect says that will be in October.
Quattro Pro 5.0 Workgroup Edition began shipping earlier this month.
The special promotion will continue for 90 days from the date
Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows ships.

The word processing-spreadsheet bundle will sell for $525. The
two products separately each sell for $495.

Current users of Wordperfect will be able to upgrade to Wordperfect
6.0 for Windows with Quattro Pro 5.0 Workgroup Edition for $150.
Users of competitive products - such as Microsoft Word - can switch
to Wordperfect and get the promotional bundle for $170 if their DOS,
Windows, or OS/2 word processor has a retail price of at least $395.

In addition to the usual spreadsheet functions, Quattro Pro 5.0
includes SQL (structured query language) database support, network
deployment, and a spell checker. Wordperfect 6.0 for Windows users
will be able to assign Quattro Pro to a button on any button bar for
launching from within Wordperfect. Specific Quattro Pro files can
also be assigned to a button. WP 6.0 will directly import spreadsheet
data with formatting and formulas remaining intact.

Wordperfect for Windows 6.0 also includes drawing and charting
capabilities, and direct integration with other Windows applications.

(Jim Mallory/19930922/Press contact: Liz Tanner, Wordperfect
Corp., 801-228-5004; Reader contact: Wordperfect Corp.,
800-451-5151


(NEWS)(IBM)(DEN)(00023)

Microprose Intros NFL Football Simulation Game 09/22/93
HUNT VALLEY, MARYLAND, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- With a hint of
fall in the air and the leaves starting to change colors on the
trees, thoughts turn to football. This year you are not limited to
either loading everyone into the station wagon and following the line
of cars to the stadium, or sitting at home and watching some games
on television. This year you can be an NFL coach.

Well not a real coach, but you can come close with a computer
simulation of football called NFL Coaches Club Football. You assume
the role of the coach and call the plays from a playbook of 160 real
NFL plays. Each team has a unique playbook designed to match the
team's play style, and the coach - that is you - can create a
customized playbook with your own plays using the playbook editor.

You can also switch roles, becoming a player to control the
offensive or defensive action. The authors say the game uses
artificial intelligence to play a human opponent, or two people can
battle each other. They can even team up to play against the
computer. The computer simulates the strengths and weaknesses of
players in the NFL and the coaching tendencies of the NFL coaches.

Game producer Ed Fletcher says unlike his version, some computer
football games do not do a very good job of simulating the size,
strength, and skills of the individual players. "We wanted a more
realistic feel for the physical aspects of football - the hitting,
blocking, and tackling."

Fletcher says the three-dimensional graphics permit an unlimited
number of views of the action using preset or customized angles. An
instant replay feature allows the player to save individual plays or
even a complete game to be reviewed at a later date. There is also a
practice feature that allows the player to correct mistakes and
improve skills between games.

Microprose publishes F-15 Strike Eagle, a popular flight simulation
game. It reported an $8 million loss in its most recent quarter and
has cut about 160 workers, or 40 percent of its staff. The losses
for the most recent quarter include a $4.4 million one-time
restructuring cost. Company co-founder John Stealey resigned
recently as chairman of the board of directors. Stealey had earlier
resigned as company president and chief executive officer.

In August, Newsbytes reported Microprose had agreed to merge
with Alameda, California-based Spectrum HoloByte.

(Jim Mallory/19930922/Press and reader contact: Microprose,
410-771-6411, fax [phone])


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(DEN)(00024)

Micrografx Picks New President, CEO 09/22/93
RICHARDSON, TEXAS, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Graphics software
publisher Micrografx Inc., has named a new president and chief
executive officer, picking a former executive at PepsiCo's Kentucky
Fried Chicken subsidiary.

Gordon M. Tucker, who is already at work, was approved by the board
of directors to be responsible for all areas of the company's
worldwide business.

Micrografx Chairman J.  Paul Grayson said Tucker's worldwide
marketing and strategic development expertise will be instrumental
in achieving the company's global mission of becoming the premier
graphics software company as it sees significant growth in the mass
consumer market for graphics software products.

"Gordon's management and consumer marketing expertise makes
him the ideal candidate to lead Micrografx into these emerging
markets, while continuing the company's steady growth in the
business, creative and professional segments," Grayson said in a
prepared statement.

Tucker joined PepsiCo in June 1991 as vice president and general
manager of KFC's operations, and was involved in the development of
the chain's new rotisserie chicken product line. Prior to joining
PepsiCo, Tucker was senior vice president at athletic footwear and
apparel maker Converse Inc., where he was responsible for
worldwide marketing.

Tucker does have some experience in the high-tech world. From
1987 to 1990 he served as sales and marketing vice president and
later as executive vice president of LoJack Corp., a developer and
manufacturer of electronic communications systems that allow
police agencies to rapidly locate stolen vehicles.

He began his career at Proctor & Gamble Co., where he was a brand
manager for the Pringle's potato chip line. He also managed the
development and launch of Proctor & Gamble's packaged cookie
business.

Scott Cook, president of Intuit, the publisher of the personal and
small business software package Quicken, believes the recent trend
of appointing industry outsiders to top posts in high-tech companies
is healthy. "As the computer industry matures, it is vital that it
draw upon the expertise of executives with proven consumer
marketing  experience," Cook stated. He and Tucker were colleagues
at Proctor & Gamble in the late 1970's.

Micrografx began searching for a new President after George D.
Grayson resigned as an officer and director of the company in
November of last year. In March of this year Newsbytes reported the
company was cutting 20 percent of its workforce and realigning its
worldwide operations in response to slow sales. Chief Financial
Officer and Treasurer David Henkel also resigned his position.

Last year Micrografx reported record revenues and net income for
the fiscal year, with sales up 60 percent to $47.3 million and net
income rising 24 percent to $5.1 million, or $0.65 per share.

Micrografx spokesman Pete McLaughlin told Newsbytes the company
expects to ship release 4.0 of its graphics presentation program
Charisma next month. McLaughlin said Micrografx will skip from the
present version 2.0 designator directly to version 4.0 because of
the major enhancements being made to the program. "It's not even
released yet and its already been nominated for PC Computing's Most
Valuable Product ward," McLaughlin told Newsbytes. Among its new
features Charisma will include video clip capability.  Newsbytes
reviewed Charisma 2.0 in 1991.

(Jim Mallory/19930922/Press and reader contact: Peter McLaughlin,
Micrografx, 214-994-6192)


(NEWS)(GENERAL)(DEN)(00025)

Exabyte Intros 4mm Data Cartridge 09/22/93
BOULDER, COLORADO, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Exabyte Corp.,
has introduced a new member of its family of media products, a
4 millimeter (mm) data cartridge.

The company says the Exatape 4mm Data Cartridge is compatible for
data recording use with all brands of 4mm DDS-1 digital audio tape
(DAT) drives. The 60-meter tape has a suggested retail price of
$31.95, while the 90-meter version will sell for $35.95.

The new 4mm cartridge joins Exabyte's 8mm data cartridge and, like
its predecessor, is certified for use with helical- scan computer
drives. Exabyte says the new 4mm cartridge differs from media
marketed for consumer audio entertainment devices because it is
formulated exclusively for computer data applications.

The new cartridge has a friction-resistant backcoating Exabyte says
maintains stable tape performance during repeated usage of up to
1,500 passes and a more than 30-year archival life. Exabyte backs
its Exatape products with a lifetime limited warranty. The 60 and
90 meter tapes have a storage capacity of 1.3 and 2 gigabytes
respectively, and can double that with data compression.

(Jim Mallory/19930922/Press contact: Susan Merriman, Exabyte,
303-447-7434; Reader contact: Exabyte, 800-392- 2983)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00026)

Oracle Net Income Jumps 275 Percent 09/22/93
REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Database
software company Oracle reported phenomenal net income for its
first quarter of 1994. While revenues are up 30 percent over
last year, the company says net income has jumped 275 percent
over the same quarter last year.

The company reported first quarter revenues at $398 million up
from $307 million reported last year. However, net income on
those revenues is up to $37 million compared to $10 million in
the same period last year.

Lawrence Ellison, Oracle's president and chief executive
officer, attributes the company's performance to its cross-
platform database product Oracle7. "In the nine months that
Oracle7 has been in production release, it has established
itself as the clear technical choice for organizations looking
to move their large, mission-critical database applications off
of their mainframes to open systems. This wide product
acceptance has allowed us to increase both our growth rate and
our market share."

The company reports licenses and other sales were up 26 percent
and service revenues grew 34 percent. Unix and desktop license
revenues constituted 84 percent of the company's total license
revenues, with Unix license revenues up 42 percent over the
first quarter of fiscal 1993 and with Desktop license sales up
42 percent over last year.

Regionally, US revenues were up 47 percent; Europe was up 35
percent, but a negative 25 point currency translation makes
that growth a dollar-based 10 percent; and the international
division, Oracle Intercontinental, was up 52 percent. Currency
translation had a negative 12 percentage point impact on
worldwide revenue growth during the first quarter of fiscal
1994, Oracle added.

Oracle is continuing to expand into new markets. In June,
Oracle and network company Novell, announced Oracleware.
Oracleware is described as an integration of the Oracle
database with Novell's networking and operating system
technologies and adds new multiserver messaging capabilities.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930922/Press Contact: Catherine Buan, Oracle
Corporation, tel [phone], fax [phone], Public
Contact, 415-506-7000)


(NEWS)(BUSINESS)(LAX)(00027)

Read-Rite Layoffs, Anticipated 4Qtr Losses 09/22/93
MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- One hundred
and fifteen employees of hard disk component manufacturer Read-
Rite got their pink slips in the last week, as the company made
further cut backs and reductions to streamline operations. This
number makes it 1,200, or over 10 percent of the total workforce,
that have been cut from company payrolls since March of 1993.

Read-Rite officials said the company is feeling the market
slowness as its hard disk drive manufacturer customers are
slowing the purchase of components because they have large
inventories built up. However, the company is optimistic about
the future and said it is currently completing the fit-up and
starting the qualification for its new advanced wafer
fabrication plant in Fremont, California.

Read-Rite intends to consolidate the wafer fabrication
currently being done in Milpitas to the Fremont plant during
fiscal 1994. The only activity that will remain in Milpitas is
prototype slider fabrication. The company is also nearing
completion of a new building at its existing site near Bangkok,
Thailand, where it plans to consolidate all of its production
activities in fiscal 1994.

The consolidation will cost about $30 million, which will be
added to a previously announced, but undisclosed loss for the
fourth quarter of this year, ending September 30, 1993. The
fourth quarter results will be officially released October 21,
company officials added.

Read-Rite designs, manufactures and markets thin film heads and
headstack assemblies for the small form factor Winchester hard
disk drive market.

(Linda Rohrbough/19930922/Press Contact: Steve Stone, Read-
Rite, tel [phone], fax [phone])


(NEWS)(TRENDS)(LON)(00028)

UK - QMS Claims First Desktop Color Laser Printer 09/22/93
LONDON, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- QMS has announced what it
claims is the industry's first desktop color laser printer. Known as
the Colorscript Laser 1000, the unit is the first desktop printer to
use laser (electrophotographic) technology to produce color images.

QMS claims that, by combining the color technology with high quality
monochrome output, the printer can be used in a variety of business
and office applications.

Despite the technology involved, the printer can print on standard
paper or transparencies. The printer also have the multi-tasking and
advanced paper handling capabilities of the QMS Crown printer.

Moira Craig, QMS' managing director, said that the printer
automatically switches between emulations for fast departmental
throughput, automatic paper jam recovery and spooling of data to
memory where different jobs come in on the several interfaces the
printer sports.

"The color quality is superb, but the Colorscript Laser 1000 is not
a graphic arts product - it is an important breakthrough in the
future of office and business computing. Information is much more
easily absorbed and retained if enhanced by color rather than simply
emboldened or underlined," she said.

According to Craig, when the quality of presentation is vital, an
enormous amount of time is wasted collating reports, proposals and
other documents that require the use of monochrome and color pages.
This, she argues, is where the Colorscript Laser 1000 comes into the
frame. "The printer substantially improves both the efficiency of
document production and the quality and appearance of the output,"
she said.

The 300 dots-per-inch (dpi) printer is powered by a 25 megahertz
(MHz) 80960CF RISC (reduced instruction-set computing) chipset and
comes with a 60 megabyte (MB) hard disk to cope with job spooling
and permanent storage of fonts, forms and logos. The UPK9,995
printer's output is eight pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome and
2 ppm for color.

(Steve Gold/19930922/Press & Public Contact: QMS - 0784-430900)


(NEWS)(TELECOM)(LON)(00029)

 ****UK - Vodafone's New Digital Phone Scheme 09/22/93
NEWBURY, BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND, 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- Vodafone has
announced yet another new tariff for its digital mobile phone
technology. This time around, however, the company is offering
potential users of its network a lease-rental option on the
telephone hardware, which it calls "Opening Gambit."

The "Opening Gambit" scheme will operate for subscribers signing
up between October 1 and December 1 this year. Instead of paying
around UKP399 for the phone plus sign-up and rental costs,
subscribers will pay an extra UKP10 a month - over and above the
normal "line rental" costs to cover the phone rental. After two
years, the phone is the property of the subscriber.

According to a spokeswoman for Vodafone, the scheme is far better
than purchasing a phone at UKP399, as, for a UKP240 outlay, spread
over two years, they can buy the phone. "It's like interest-free
credit, and a highly discounted price," she told Newsbytes.

In parallel with the rental option for the GSM Metrodigital phones,
Vodafone has introduced a new local "home cell" rate of calls. This
rate costs as low as 10 pence per minute for local calls at peak
times - half the normal rate - provided the phone is within range
of a specified GSM base station.

Announcing the new phone deal and tariff arrangements, Gerry Whent,
chief executive of Vodafone, said: "We think that our unique
Metrodigital service will appeal to many different types of users.
The low-cost calls and offer of a new front outlay on equipment will
make the attraction of a Metrodigital phone irresistible," he said.

The Metrodigital service will initially be available in 168 towns
and cities in the UK when it is formally launched on October 1.
According to Vodafone, by the end of 1996, the Metrodigital service
will be available to any town with a population in excess of 4,000.

A key feature of Metrodigital phones is their ability to be used
anywhere in the UK and abroad, wherever there is a GSM network and,
in the case of non-UK networks, where a roaming agreement exists.
The downside is that a higher tariff (65 pence a minute) is payable
for full GSM network calls.

(Steve Gold/19930922/Press & Public Contact: Vodafone: Tel: 0635-
33251)


(NEWS)(UNIX)(BOS)(00030)

 ****Unix Expo - IBM's New PowerPCs Just The Start 09/22/93
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1993 SEP 22 (NB) -- The four PowerPCs
and three new RISC System 6000 models announced this week are
just the start of a string of new PowerPC and Power2 platforms to
be rolled out over the next couple of years, IBM officials said in a
press conference at Unix Expo.

Platforms will range from portable implementations of the 601 and
603 PowerPC chips to multiprocessor implementations for Power2,
according to Bill Filip, president of IBM's Advanced Workstations
and Systems (AWS).

At the close of the press conference, IBM showed a prototype of a
ThinkPad-like portable machine, based on a 50 megahertz (MHz) 601
PowerPC chip, running Windows, Macintosh, and WABI-compliant
applications on AIX.

"The 601 is the first PowerPC chip, but it is not a highly power
managed chip like the (PowerPC) 603. We'll see 603 implementations
in the not too distant future that will extend those capabilities
into portable and lower end implementations," said Filip.

Added Phil Hester, vice president of systems and technology for
AWS:  "We're not announcing a portable implementation for 601
today, but we do have a very exciting technology demo, and you
should expect to hear more from us about 601-based portables even
before you see a fully optimized 603 portable implementation,"

The PowerPC 601 chip became generally available last week, and
other vendors are already beginning to implement and test 601-
based systems, noted Filip. "I don't often use the 'C' (clone) word,
but I'm sure other companies will be offering PowerPC-based
servers and portable systems in the first quarter of next year," he
stated.

"The breadth of implementations will grow exponentially as we get
the full range of 601, 603, 604 chips out into the marketplace
over the next two years," he added.

The PowerPC systems will run AIX as well as Workplace OS, a new
operating environment that IBM will release within the next six to
nine months, said Donna Van Fleet, AWS director, RISC Systems
Software.

WorkPlace OS will later be available for Power2 and other RISC 6000
systems, according to Von Fleet. "But AIX is what we'll focus on
for RISC 6000, and also in the power parallel high-end cluster
multiprocessing world," she remarked.

(Jacqueline Emigh/19930922/Press contacts:  Gregory T. Golden, IBM,
tel [phone]; Steven Malkiewicz, IBM, tel [phone])